Taranto, Italy - 19 January 2013: Comic Beppe Grillo, leader of the 5 Stars Movement in Taranto, Italy, on January 19th 2013.ROME, ITALY - 19 JANUARY 2013: Beppe Grillo, a comedian and leader of the 5 Stars Movement (M5S, Movimento 5 Stelle) rallies in Taranto, Apulia, on January 19 2013. Grillo, whom presents itself as a "non-politician", and the 5 Stars Movement as "not a party". Grillo has been running a mostly internet-based political campaign through the party's blog and the local groups that have emerged from it. The movement has a strong anti-politics agenda: "All political parties are crooked and they all need to go", Grillo says.

A general election to determine the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 elective members of the Senate, the two houses of the Italian parliament, will take place on 24–25 February 2013. The main candidates running for Prime Minister are Pierluigi Bersani (leader of the centre-left coalition "Italy. Common Good"), former PM Mario Monti (leader of the centrist coalition "With Monti for Italy") and former PM Silvio Berlusconi (leader of the centre-right coalition).